Under The Blooming Magnolia Tree
by CUtopia
Summary: How Annie found freedom in her life.


From a Tumblr writing prompt blog. The prompt was the picture.

Thanks to Liza and Lisa, who were so kind to beta this piece :)

* * *

 **Under The Blooming Magnolia Tree**

For a very long time, Annie had been unable to find any real freedom in her life. The closest she had ever come to it had been with Finnick. In his arms, she had dared to feel at least a tiny bit of the security she had lacked since having been thrown into the Hunger Games. Part of her had never left the arena, and the rest of her had been scarred and broken. Every year, she had been forced to watch the Hunger Games, knowing just too well what these children would go through.

At some point, Annie had lost her hope about living a relatively normal life, especially after being taken to the Capitol. The torture had nearly taken away the last bit of sanity she had left inside of her – if the rescue team had come only one day later, she probably wouldn't have been herself anymore. Lost, nearly like Peeta, destroyed by the agony.

But then, a tiny spark of hope had returned to her life in the moment she had been able to jump into Finnick's arms. Finnick, her safe haven, solid as a rock, a constant in the current of her confused mind. Her saviour.

Their wedding had been the most magical moment in her life. All her worries had been so far away, and finally, happiness hadn't felt like a distant memory from another life. It had been real, so real she had felt like she could grasp it. Somehow, she had touched it – whenever she had held Finnick's hand on that day, whenever she had kissed him, she had felt it intensify. Almost as if he was her source of luck and happiness.

For a short moment, it had been there – freedom. Annie had forgotten that they were in a bunker, that they were at war with the Capitol. Lying in Finnick's arms had been peace.

However, the harsh reality had come back, like tidal waters. It had never been completely gone, it had just been behind the horizon, luring her into feeling something like safety.

Finnick had gone to war, leaving her behind in District 13 with Johanna and her fears. Every single day had been torture to her. The nescience about where exactly he was and how he was, seemed to wear on her. During those excruciating days, her nerves were as unstable as in the time when she had returned from the arena.

She had felt it when Finnick had made his last breath.

A sudden wave of grief had hit her out of nowhere, and her heart had become heavy before a feeling of emptiness had started to spread inside of her. It was as if a part of her had shattered, and within moments, she had known that Finnick was gone.

To learn how to live without him and his comforting presence must have been the hardest thing she had ever went through in her life. For the first time, he was not there to put her back together, to hold her when she woke up, screaming and crying from the nightmares that haunted her. He wasn't there to make her smile. And what hurt the most was that he wasn't there to celebrate her pregnancy with her.

All that remained were the memories, and the child of his that was growing under her heart – a heart that was his, forever.

Annie took a deep breath. Her eyes closed, she inhaled the sweet scent of the magnolia tree she was sitting under. The air was warm, and the rays of the summer sun that broke through the branches gently kissed her skin. A light breeze played with her long hair as she opened her eyes upon hearing the happy laughter coming from the boy who has running over the meadow in front of her. Chasing imaginary dragons, he was in his own little world, not noticing how his mother watched him. Finn was the spitting image of his father – his smile, his blond, slightly unruly hair, the way he spoke with her. He was reminding her of the man she still loved every single day.

A few magnolia blossoms floated past her, landing in the grass next to her bare feet.

Nothing disturbed this perfect moment, and if someone had asked her to describe what freedom was for her, she would have told him about these hours in the summer she spent under the magnolia tree, the one Finnick had kissed her under for the first time.

Here, it was as if he was close to her, as if his spirit was sitting right next to her, sharing her smile while watching their son play.


End file.
